


Do It For Me

by Miss_Nihilist



Series: I Think There's a Fault in My Code [1]
Category: Astro Boy (2009)
Genre: Child Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, Extremely Dubious Consent (to Torture), Gen, Moral Bankruptcy, Non-Graphic Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:15:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24465568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Nihilist/pseuds/Miss_Nihilist
Summary: To be allowed to attend school, Astro is required by the government to wear power limiters. While testing them, Doctor Tenma takes more than just a strictly fatherly interest in how his son reacts to the effects. After all, he is — first and foremost — a scientist.
Series: I Think There's a Fault in My Code [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767133
Comments: 7
Kudos: 59





	Do It For Me

**Author's Note:**

> Tenma is not a good dad in this fic. Movieverse!Tenma is a better dad than his past incarnations have been, but this idea wouldn't leave me alone and it only really works in this context. But rest assured, to Tenma fans, he won't be written like this in all of my movieverse oneshots.
> 
> I also really wanted to try my hand at writing something more horror-esque.

"Do I have to?" Astro asked, a petulant whine to his voice that was better suited to a child than a teenager, even if thirteen was barely making the cut-off.

Doctor Tenma opened the military-grade reinforced briefcase, where five delicate-looking rings were laying in a soft foam padding. He gave Astro a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid so. It's an order directly from the President himself. But don't worry, son. One of our best teams at the Ministry of Science designed these. I'm sure they'll work perfectly."

Truthfully, Tenma wished that he could have been part of the design process, but he was too close to Astro. The government never liked it when things got personal. It was harder to predict and control the outcome. As a scientist, Tenma understood. As a father, he regretted not putting up more of a fight for his inclusion.

"I'm not worried about them not working." Astro fidgeted uncomfortably, his arms crossed over his chest. His fingers idly pinched the fabric of his sweatshirt. "They look ridiculous, dad. I mean, what normal kid walks around with a collar and cuffs? I'll look like a criminal. Or a…" He trailed off.

He didn't finish, but Tenma knew what Astro had been about to say: _a slave_. Some people accessorized their robots to show ownership. If Astro didn't look so humanlike, he would have been getting the same treatment from just about every citizen of Metro City. As it was, the only thing really saving him from that was his status as the city's hero. And even that was split, with many people still viewing Astro as a dangerous toy at the worst and a programmed, mindless government drone at best. Hence the need for power limiters.

Tenma managed a smile, an expression that he noticed would often convince Astro to relax. "You can cover them up with clothes. Now, come on, Astro. You already agreed to this compromise." He lifted the first one out of the container, a ring that was the perfect circumference to fit around Astro's boot. Or, foot, technically, since it was a part of his body. That had been the only way to hide the clunky design of Astro's rocket feet, else Tenma would have liked to give him realistic legs. "Now, take off your clothes for now. You can put them right back on after, but these need to touch your body directly to be effective."

Asking that never made Astro very happy, but he was familiar with the routine physical check-ups that Tenma often insisted upon, so he sighed and complied with a mutter of, "Let's just get this over with." His sweatshirt with the Ministry of Science logo came off first and was folded up and set on the coffee table nearby. Next, Astro slipped his jeans off, struggling to get them over his boots for a moment before they were set neatly on top of his shirt.

He had no other removable clothes after those. Astro liked to joke that it cut down on time spent folding his laundry, but Tenma wasn't an idiot. He knew that his son missed wearing underwear and socks and changing his shoes — completely mundane things that Tenma had never realized he'd taken for granted.

"Alright." Tenma knelt down and took Astro's foot, lifting it by where the ankle would be. He looked up at his son seriously. "Now, these obviously have never been tested before, but they're not meant to cause you pain. If you need me to stop for any reason, please just get my attention."

Though Astro nodded, there was a touch of uncertainty behind it. "Alright," he agreed.

That would have to be good enough. They needed to test the limiters so that, if any adjustments were needed, there was still time to fix those before school started back up again in the next few weeks.

All five rings were identical, save for size. They were narrow steel rings about an inch thick and lacking any design on the outside at all, save for the locking mechanism. It was a small circle with a scanner embedded in it. Tenma pressed his thumb to it and the cuff popped open with an acknowledging beep. Only a few people had permission to unlock them, Doctor Tenma and Doctor Elefun being among them, along with the President and the superintendent of Astro's school. Just in case there was an emergency he had to deal with before the school day was up. Astro was not authorized.

Tenma slipped it around the base of Astro's boot and clicked it shut. There was an electric rush that had him hissing and yanking his hands away, stung as though by a static charge. Astro shuddered, his whole body twitching, and let out an unnecessary breath as he set his leg back down.

"Are you alright?" Tenma asked reflexively. He didn't know what to expect with the limiters. They worked by decreasing the amount of power that Astro's Blue Core could send to his extremities, such as his rockets and arm cannons, and directed the excess back inside of him. Theoretically, it wasn't supposed to be painful.

 _Theoretically_ being the keyword.

Astro processed the question for what felt like a long time. He nodded slowly and Tenma relaxed. "Yeah. Sorry, dad." There was a frown on his face. "I wasn't expecting it to feel like that. But I'm good." He bit his lip, white and metallic teeth worrying the synthetic skin so forcefully that Tenma almost worried that Astro would tear it. "Do we have to do the others? I mean, isn't one enough?" He asked eventually.

Before he had even finished, Tenma was shaking his head. "No, Astro. They're designed to work at maximum efficiency when they're all activated. You know that. And the President was very specific when he gave us these generous terms," Tenma chided. "If you have any complaints about how they feel, we can give a more detailed summary once we put all of them on. Otherwise, how else will the team behind them know what to fix?"

He waited for Astro's answer as a show of good faith, despite already knowing what his son would say. At the end of the day, Astro was a robot: a boy trapped in a body made of metal that had been pounded into shape and allowed to move thanks to powerful hydraulics. His decisions were an endless march of variables processing and factoring in desirable outcomes.

And, as both a machine and a son, Tenma knew that Astro didn't want to let his father down by stopping so early.

So Astro sighed, relenting. Of course he did. "Fine." He stuck his other foot out for Tenma to take. "It feels like I've got something really heavy on my chest. On my Core," Astro admitted.

Barely listening, Tenma only hummed in vague interest. He unlocked the other ankle cuff with his fingerprint and slid it into place. "Is that so?" Tenma paused, taking in Astro's aloof demeanor. Nothing, yet. He snapped the cuff shut and the reaction was immediate.

Stumbling back, Astro yanked his foot free from Tenma's grip so suddenly that he'd nearly smacked his dad in the jaw. And likely would have shattered the bones if it made contact.

"Astro!" Tenma's head snapped up. The glare on his face softened, though, when he realized what state his son was in. He looked scared. Slowly, not wanting to trigger Astro's self-defense mechanisms while he was in a panicked state, Tenma rose to his feet. Speaking softly, almost crooning, he asked, "What's wrong?" He paused. "What does it feel like?" And if he was a little too eager to hear the answer than most parents otherwise would be, then Astro was kind enough not to comment on it.

It took Astro a moment to put the bizarre new sensation into words. "I can't feel my feet," he managed, staring at the red boots that were a feature of his body. His expression was twisted with discomfort and Tenma doubted that Astro even realized it. "It…" He set a hand on his chest, over his artificial heart. "Dad, this feels so weird. It's just getting worse."

"I know." Tenma set his hands on Astro's shoulders, steadying him. "But that's why we're testing this out now, so we can perfect it before you need it. I don't want the populace to be scared of you, Astro." He waited for his son to nod, hesitant though he was, and pulled back.

Turning to the briefcase, Tenma pulled out the third inhibitor and noticed Astro visibly swallow when he held it up. Interesting. He reasoned that it was probably a nervous tick left over from his human memories, living a life as Toby. It wasn't as though Doctor Tenma had designed him with saliva glands.

He had yet to observe his robotic son in such emotional distress from so up close before. Astro tended to be closed off with his feelings. They had only been living together again, as father and son, for about a month. There was still so much that Tenma had yet to observe.

He felt chilled, looking down at the ominous cuff in his hands. Tenma's expression was blank. He had never seen Astro in _real_ pain.

How human-like was he, really?

"Are you ready for the next one?" Tenma asked, stepping closer. It was growing difficult to contain his curiosity.

Astro shrank back, then caught himself. His expression hardened and he nodded, trying and failing to look more confident than he really felt. "Just do it. We're halfway done, right?"

"Almost," agreed Tenma. He wasn't looking at Astro's face anymore. The third cuff was smaller than the ones before, designed to fit comfortably around Astro's wrist. Before his son could think about backing out, Tenma took his hand and snapped the ring on tight.

Because he was holding onto Astro, Tenma felt the responding surge of energy. It was a flare that died down before it could even really kick up. It was a good thing that he was close, too, because Astro let out a whimper and his legs gave out.

Caught off guard, there was no way Tenma would have managed to catch Astro if he hadn't stumbled directly into his father. His metallic skull thumped against Tenma's chest and his arms curled around his dad's slim frame, automatically pulling him closer for support. "Astro? What's wrong?" There was no need to ask if everything was alright anymore. It clearly wasn't.

He didn't answer Tenma immediately. Instead, Astro curled one hand into Tenma's lab coat as the other grasped weakly at his chest, right over his access panel. Tenma frowned thoughtfully. He sank to his knees, cradling Astro against him, and laid him out to get a better look. It would be difficult to get him to hold still, but Tenma didn't mind if Astro squirmed so long as it didn't impede his view.

Gently, he grasped Astro's wrist, pulling his hand away so that he would stop clawing at his Core. The access panel was smoking faintly, wisps of grey seeping between the seam in Astro's synthetic skin. Tenma glanced at his face and was surprised to see Astro's eyes glowing blue, dilating and undilating rapidly as he stared directly at his dad.

"It hurts…" Astro's face twisted in pain and he shuddered, a full-body reaction that left him trembling on the tile floor.

His other arm — the one without the ring — jerked and Tenma noticed that Astro had retracted his fingers. Subconsciously, he was trying to deploy his arm cannons to destroy the perceived threat, but he couldn't get very far. His arm was pulsing like a heartbeat, flashing that blue glow every time the panels pulled apart, just for them to fall back into place.

Fascinating.

Tenma said nothing. He pressed his lips into a thin line and reached for the fourth ring, never taking his eyes off of Astro. He understood the problem. The Core put out unbelievable amounts of energy that was funneled through Astro's body and brain. Even when it hadn't been plugged into anything, it had been allowed to radiate so that its energy wouldn't loop back on itself. It had nowhere to go, though. Astro's wiring was meant to direct it and yet, the power that it was attempting to push out was being forced back in.

It had to be excruciating. But how was Tenma supposed to know his robot's limits if he never pushed them? He needed to know these things: how much strain could the Core take, how much internal damage could Astro sustain, how much pain could he handle before it became too much? He could always dull Astro's pain receptors if they worked a little too well. There was no reason for Tenma to pretend that his son was human anymore.

Without looking away, Tenma reached above him for the suitcase, fumbling for the fourth ring. Astro's eyes, still glowing that ethereal blue they'd been when Tenma first turned him on, locked onto the movement in an instant. He tensed up and shook his head, just a twitch of his jaw one way and then the other.

"Dad, take them off," he groaned. His hand had stopped pointlessly trying to form his cannon and Astro used his fingers to tug at the ring around his wrist. Tenma wondered if he couldn't pull them off because he wasn't strong enough anymore or because he hadn't been given permission to.

His fingers closed around the ring and he drew it down to his level. Astro cringed, recoiling away from it. Tenma let him, allowing him some illusion of control. "You're doing so well, Astro," he said softly. The room had gone deathly quiet. Something in Astro's chest was hissing and Tenma longed to get a closer look. "You're so strong, you know that? I'm proud of you for getting this far. If you want to stop, we can," he offered, only because he knew that Astro would refuse. Tenma knew even before he said it.

Not as a robot, but as a boy deprived of attention and validation for some of the most important years of his life developmentally, Astro wasn't going to refuse.

It was amazing how far a few carefully placed kind words could get him.

Looking like it took a great deal of effort, Astro nodded. He even held his arm up for Tenma, biting his lip to silence a cry as his arm spasmed and let out a God-awful clicking sound, metal parts grinding hard together. Tenma took hold of his wrist, feeling the heat coming off of it. He had made sure that Astro's skin was heat resistant and fireproof from the outside, but the inside? He hadn't been nearly so thorough. That was clearly an oversight. Tenma made a mental note for the numerous upgrades that he ought to make.

For the time being, though, he unlocked the fourth cuff and slid it into place with a click.

Immediately, Astro stopped twitching and squirming. His malfunctioning parts were dead and he froze with his fingers pulled half-way into his arms and his boots separated into panels that were still trying to peel back into rockets. Even if the cuffs had been off, though, they wouldn't have gotten very far with the rings getting caught on the pieces and preventing them from moving into the new positions.

Then Astro screamed.

He opened his mouth, head snapping back so violently that it cracked the tile floor, and let out a high-pitched cry of agony. His body convulsed, sparking and smoking from every crack. The panel over his Core was swollen as if even his heart was attempting to tear away from the source of the pain.

Tenma grimaced faintly, though he did nothing to alleviate his son's distress. He didn't like to see Astro in such pain, but research wasn't always pleasant. These findings would save Astro more unnecessary pain in the future, much like having a root canal.

While Astro was busy, Tenma grabbed the fifth ring. The one that was meant to go around Astro's neck. His son was still screaming and tears were flowing down his face in a steady stream. It was possible that his artificial tear ducts had been busted because the tears just wouldn't stop. He would run out of fluid to cry, eventually.

Setting the ring down by his knee, Tenma cupped Astro's face with one hand and earned himself a nasty shock in the process. Still, Tenma turned Astro to look at him and smiled comfortingly, using his thumb to brush away the tears. His other hand rested on Astro's arm, just below the cuff around his wrist. He felt a mix of synthetic skin and the overheating metal of Astro's arm cannon but didn't tear his eyes away from his son to get a better look. Astro needed Tenma to be present, or else how could he expect the robot to trust him?

"Astro." He gave a squeeze of his son's hand, or what remained of it. "Can you hear me? You don't have to speak — just nod."

Two blue eyes, glowing bright enough that Tenma had to squint to look directly at them, focused on him. Astro's mouth opened and he let out a high-pitched, broken whine, not unlike radio static. His facial expression was frozen in one of horror, but he managed to close his mouth. Not trusting himself to form words, he took Tenma's advice and nodded.

Relaxing, Tenma let go of Astro's hand and reached for the collar on the ground. "We're almost there. Astro, you've been so strong," he muttered. Tenma held it up and wasn't surprised when Astro recoiled. He pressed a hand to his throat as if in defense, still shaking as though about to split apart at the seams. Undeterred, Tenma smiled. He knew exactly what to say to get Astro's compliance and he didn't hesitate. "I love you," Tenma said. "This is the last one, Astro. I'll be so proud of you for finishing this. Do this one last thing for me."

Astro said nothing for what felt like a long time, twitching uncontrollably as his access panel began to creak, blue light pouring out as it threatened to burst open. He was searching Tenma's face for empathy that wasn't there. His father held his stare, unwavering. Defeated, Astro closed his eyes. A single tear rolled down his cheek, the last one that he had the fluids for, it seemed, but Astro still nodded. That was good enough. Without a second thought, Tenma snapped the final collar shut around Astro's neck.

The blue glow in his eyes faded but, instead of Toby's brown eyes, there was no awareness in them. They weren't off, exactly, but whatever Astro was looking at, Tenma couldn't see it. His mouth opened but no words came out. Instead, there was a soft beeping noise that Tenma had to strain to hear over the other sounds that his body was making. It was too quiet for him to tell what it was and, for the moment, it was dismissed. Tenma could always replay it from Astro's memory bank when it came time for a system backup and scan.

He had stopped struggling, his entire body frozen as though he'd been turned off. Tenma knew that Astro was still functioning, though. He was still beeping, still smoking, still sparking. What it meant, Tenma didn't know, but he was dying to learn.

Eagerly, he set his fingers against the panel for Astro's Core. Almost immediately, though, Tenma yanked his hand back. His fingers were red and aching, burned from the intense heat. He thought about it for a moment, unsure what to do, then simply stuck his fingers under the panel. It burned, of course, but Tenma ignored the pain and pried it open as quickly as he could. It came off with a snap as the weakened and strained hinges gave way. The cover hit the ground with a clatter that Tenma barely noticed, entranced by what he was looking at.

The Blue Core was swollen and pulsing, an angry, much darker shade of blue. The metal container that housed it was bent outward and had disconnected from several wires. Astro's beeping continued, louder, and Tenma finally realized what it was. Not a system error, but his desire for communication being transmitted in audio binary since his artificial vocal cords weren't working. Tenma knew what the numbers were, but he didn't know what they meant. '01010011 01010100 01001111 01010000.' Absolute gibberish to Tenma's ears.

He turned his attention back to the Core. Experimentally, Tenma reached up and unlocked the collar around Astro's throat with his thumbprint. As soon as it unlocked and clattered to the ground, useless, Astro sucked in a hard breath that he didn't need. Tenma observed the human-like behavior with a surge of pride. His own handy work never ceased to impress himself.

The spasms had stopped. Astro looked up at nothing, breathing deeply and carefully in an effort to control himself. In his exposed heart, Tenma could see that the Blue Core had lightened in color and shrunk a little bit closer to its original size. He almost wanted to touch it but was distracted when Astro groaned.

Dragging his gaze up to the robot's eyes, Tenma schooled his expression into one of sympathy. "Are you alright?" He asked, knowing full-well that the answer was no. Astro's eyes were flashing, alternating a dull blue and red. An emergency signal. He needed intense repairs.

Had Astro had the fluids for it, he would have been crying. He held himself strong, though. Instead of answering Tenma's pointless question, he managed a weak, "It… It hurts so bad. Dad, please… t-take them off. I can't..." Astro's voice was glitching, alternating pitches and filled with white noise.

Tenma considered it for a moment. He still had some things that he was curious about. He wanted to see how Astro held up over a long period of time, but… perhaps later. That was enough for one day.

He unlocked the cuff around Astro's left wrist, then his right, and watched his son sag in relief. Before Tenma could reach for his ankles, Astro reached down and ripped the last two cuffs off with a grunt of effort. He was still weakened, obviously, but desperation could push people to do the impossible. Astro coughed and smoke poured out from between his lips. At least the rest of his body wasn't sparking as badly anymore.

Their eyes met for a tense, almost awkward moment. Tenma felt his mouth go dry. He scrambled for something to say. Astro's stare was questioning. Expectant. He wanted some sort of explanation, some form of apology. Tenma could give him all of that and more, he just wasn't certain how truthful it would be. He wouldn't know even himself just how much of it he meant until he said it. His stare raked up and down Astro's body, taking in the singed skin, the dented and broken metal, the exhausted look in his son's eyes. That hadn't been programmed by Tenma, but he had created it nonetheless. He soaked it all in, absorbing the damage he had done to all that was left of his only son… and felt only a flicker of guilt, more upset because he knew he ought to be than because he genuinely was.

"It's okay," Tenma lied, pulling Astro into his arms. His son let out a strangled noise not unlike a sob and curled closer to Tenma, gripping his lab coat with trembling hands. He ran a hand through Astro's synthetic hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead. He closed his eyes, holding his son close. "You did such a great job with that, Astro. I know it was hard. And I'm sorry."

Another lie, not a breath apart from the first one. Astro didn't call him out on it. He glanced up at Tenma, torn and heartbroken. He put his head down and let his dad pretend to comfort him. It was the best that he was going to get. 

**Author's Note:**

> **Feel free to check out my Astro Boy blog[HERE](https://astroboy2003sub.tumblr.com) for updates on my writing and other Astro Boy content!**


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